2023 Winners of the Lesfic Bard Award

Action Adventure

The Paris Contagion

by CA Farlow

Global terrorism, bioweapons, despots, and a deadly new virus all combine to make the world an unstable place, particularly for Samantha Michaels, an analyst with the Central Intelligence Agency, and for Cassandra Stanley, captain of a US Navy guided missile cruiser.

Fears mount as weapons of mass destruction are tested by North Korea’s Supreme Leader and a deadly pandemic sweeps through the world. When missiles capable of reaching the United States are tested, it’s clear North Korea must be stopped. Ripped from today’s news headlines, The Paris Contagion spans the globe.

Can the Supreme Leader of the Democratic Republic of Korea be stopped before Armageddon is launched on the world?

Fantasy

Elyon’s Ghost

by Alison Naomi Holt

Elyon’s Ghost is the second in the explosive new sapphic series, The Daughters of Elyon. This series introduces a world full of intrigue and adventure, one that pulls the reader deep into the lives of the characters and refuses to let go.

The story follows Sábria, the Arch Priestess, and her warriors, commonly known as Elyon’s Blades—strong female protagonists following the mandates of their Goddess, Elyon, who demands her warriors risk all to defend womankind.

Fiction

When It’s True

by Barbara Murphy

Happily married couple Beth and Kelly get a last-minute visitor for the holidays in the form of Beth’s womanizing ex-girlfriend Jackie, who boldly announces that she plans to walk away from this visit with more than just good memories.

When Kelly’s sister Paige arrives a day later, the sparks fly with Jackie. Kelly is determined to convince her sister that Jackie is not to be trusted. But Paige sees a different side of Jackie and puts her past heartache aside to give Jackie a chance.

Meanwhile, Beth and Kelly rely on the strength of their love to support each other through an unimaginable ordeal.

Historical

War and Solace

by Edale Lane

A battle-hardened shieldmaiden. A pacifist healer. Can the two find love amid the chaos of war?
From Edale Lane, the award-winning, best-selling author of Sigrid & Elyn, comes a new Tale from Norgevr!

Tyrdis is a stalwart warrior raised to value honor, courage, and military prowess. When a traumatic injury renders the powerful protector helpless, she depends on the lovely, tender-hearted Adelle to restore her from the brink of death. Is it merely gratitude or true love that draws Tyrdis to the healer?

Defying cultural norms, Adelle despises violence and those who propagate it, but when her shieldmaiden patient saves the life of her beloved little girl, she must reexamine her values. Could Tyrdis be more than a stiff, efficient killer with an amazing body?

In a kingdom steeped in conflict with their neighbors and internal strife, shocking secrets are revealed, and both women strive to ensure justice prevails. Can they overcome their differences to safeguard their friends, end the war, and fall in love, or will fate prove to be a cruel sovereign?

This Sapphic Viking Historical nursed-back-to-health, opposites-attract Romance is packed with action, intrigue, and mythical references. If you enjoy rich storytelling that brings the past to life, vivid characters you won’t forget, and a surprise twist on the way to a HEA ending, then you’ll love War and Solace.

Mystery

Stormy Weather

by Iza Moreau & R. E. Conary

Book 6 of the Elodie Fontaine Mystery series finds the high school sleuth trying to solve her first murder. Trouble is, the murder happened 20 years ago and a strong hurricane has just devastated the ancient crime scene at Maudry Manor–an artists retreat owned by a beloved author of children’s stories. To top it off, her new friend Bell is being blackmailed by someone who has embarrassing selfies. Both the murderer and the blackmailer will try their hardest to make sure Elodie fails.

New Author

The Beginning of Goodbye

by Lark Sullivan

Would you follow your desires, no matter the consequences?

A friend, a lover, a stranger…follow the stories of ten women as they decide whether to risk everything to pursue the women they desire and discover the truth behind one woman’s journey to heal a broken heart.

Paranormal

Haunted by Myth

by Barbara Ann Wright

Chloe knew her future would be boring. Every job pales in comparison to the family legacy: hunting monsters and banishing ghosts. But that birthright belongs to her mother and sister, leaving Chloe forever outside looking in. Until her sister dies without warning. Chloe gets the family magic, a lack of self-confidence, a grieving mother, a sarcastic spirit guide, and room for nothing else, especially love. And lately, someone seems to be summoning ghosts and protecting monsters, and all clues point to one very famous face: Helen of Troy.

Helen has spent hundreds of years running a sanctuary and rehab for the last mythical creatures on earth. And she has a huge chip on her shoulder about that whole Trojan War thing. Neither she nor Chloe has time for the other’s philosophy or to see if their growing attraction is more than skin-deep, not when there are some monsters that won’t be sent to the Underworld without a fight.

Romance

Always Emilie

by Alyson Root

Charlie Baxter has it all. A beautiful house, successful company and a set of tattoos that light women on fire at the mere sight of them. Not to mention, she’s tall and gorgeous! Life is good… Well, that is until her old music teacher calls insisting she return to her old school to take part in their annual charity ball. Charlie left Pickerton Academy behind twenty years ago. She also left behind the heartache caused by the only girl she ever loved.

Emilie Martin is an international superstar. She’s had fame and fortune for the past two decades, but what she really wants now is a break. Maybe a couple of weeks in the English countryside and a visit to her old school is just what she needs. Sounds perfect, and it would be if it weren’t for the fact it meant seeing the one person Emilie has pined over for twenty years. The girl that got away. No, the girl Emilie threw away.

With both women on a collision course with their past, can they put all the hurt behind them and start again? Can they keep their hands off each other long enough to really figure out what they want?

Science Fiction

With Love From Planet B

By Zaayin Salaam

We ignored the climate deadlines. The bombs made it worse. Now it’s 2085, and the 6th extinction event is unfolding.

Zara is a master lucid dreamer, training her team in this rare skill, so that one day, if a suitable earth-like exoplanet is found, they can safely teleport there. It seems her dreams are coming true when Lex, her girlfriend and team mathematician discovers Planet B.

But Planet B won’t let anyone enter… Join Zara and Lex on their hero’s journey as they go within to find their real selves, and face new revelations about reality. Will they manage to cure themselves of the Three Spiritual Diseases that afflict all Earthlings? Will they get to survive on Planet B?

Cover

Say Their Names

by Karen Badger

Jo Benson is a political science professor. Tam Allen is a cardiac care nurse. Jo and Tam met several years previously, at a demonstration protesting police brutality against the black community.

After several years together, they relocate from South Carolina to upstate New York when Jo is offered a tenured position at the State University of New York.

Two years after relocating, Jo and Tam purchase an old mansion in the Adirondack region of New York. History collides when they discover secrets about their new home that will change their lives forever.

Join them as they strive to discover who had been living in their attic for sixty years.

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